Where the Personal and the Political meet, get drunk and have unprotected sex. (And never, EVER use Oxford commas!)

Monday, January 19, 2015

Losing the Imperial Inheritance

For those of you who’ve been following this blog the last
couple of weeks (or the last 9 years), you may have noticed that I’ve
thoroughly vilified the system that furnishes us with a comfy, middle-class
lifestyle. But why would I want to disassemble the Empire now? We’ve got a good
thing going here! Surely it can still be counted on to deliver a comfortable
life for myself and my progeny?

Therein lies the rub. Our lifestyle isn’t as comfy as it
used to be, and it seems to be getting less comfy each year. In fact, I don’t
think the Empire will be capable much longer of keeping us in the manner to
which we’re accustomed. And that may be the most decisive factor in my
political radicalization: the failure of the American Empire to give me the
share of the American Dream that I believed was my birthright.

I would like to believe that I would’ve been aware of and fought
the evils of the American Empire even if I'd lived through its Golden Age, as my parents did. But my
track record implies otherwise. Despite being aware of my imperial complicity for a decade,
I’ve repeatedly returned to the corporate world, trying to preserve and then,
after quitting my cushy job, recover that cozy corner of the American Dream I’d
been looking forward to since childhood. If I’d managed to stay on Easy Street, I’m not
sure I would’ve been willing to abandon my creature comforts in an effort to
undermine the imperial system.

I’m forced to admit that this historical period has
catalyzed my awareness of the crimes on which the Empire, and my comfortable
existence, is based. When you’re sitting pretty, you’re less likely to question
the socioeconomic structure of your society, and you’re far less likely to
indict that structure. After all, you deserve to be successful, right? You’re a
good person, and you’ve earned everything you've got. That seems to be the
default self-image of the middle class.

It’s much easier to condemn these luxuries as they slip
away. When your bed isn’t as comfortable as it used to be, you’re more likely
to lie awake and question the assumptions by which you’ve lived. You’re more
likely to think that things are headed in the wrong direction and may never
have been just and fair in the first place. When the luxuries your class once
enjoyed are now enjoyed by others, it’s much easier to question those people’s
worthiness and the justice of the system that is creating this new disposition
of wealth. Of course, not everyone reacts to insecurity this way.

Many people employ xenophobia to scapegoat marginal groups,
e.g. immigrants and ethnic, racial and religious minorities. One or more of the
“alien” groups is blamed for the “Real Americans’” loss of status. This often
leads to the demonization and further oppression of these already-oppressed
groups. It’s an approach that exploits the ugliest side of human nature and
unleashes destructive forces that are not easily controlled. (For a prime example,
see “Third Reich, The.”)

Unfortunately, the U.S.A. has a long, not-so-proud tradition
of this brand of politics. We have a disturbing habit of fearing and then persecuting the most-subjugated groups in our society: slaves, immigrants, the poor, etc.
Our history and the state of the economy have established the conditions in
which this kind of movement could be reborn with a vengeance.

I’m pretty sure the path I’ve taken is the one less traveled,
and with good reason. It’s the path that leads through the looking glass, and
what’s on the other side is horrifying. You see the victims of the American Way
of Life: the human beings killed in our “humanitarian interventions;” the
children worked to death in the sweatshops that keep us looking hip; and the
unborn poisoned by the toxins released in the manufacture of our gizmos. Worst
of all, you see that their suffering is caused only by our greed, fear and
ignorance.

The urge to blame outsiders for one’s own misfortune is
strong and will likely get stronger as the Empire unravels. But the
consequences of that choice are too terrible to imagine, much less to take the chance
of resurrecting them from the darkest periods in history. We must face the
demons that haunt the American conscience, or they will complete their conquest
of our souls and turn our inheritance into a graveyard.